


Years (ON HOLD)

by Red_Balloons



Series: Apocalypse [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Prelude, Rewrite, Zombie Logic - freeform, abnormally smart child, anatomy - semi-freeform, atypical autism, biology - semi-freeform, experimentation - freeform, science - freeform, scientists - Freeform, semi-blind character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Balloons/pseuds/Red_Balloons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Heaven if you sent us down / So we can build a playground / For the sinners to play as saints / You'd be so proud of what we've made." (Crossfire - Stephen)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 6 Months

**Author's Note:**

> As the tags say, this is a rewrite of a work of the same name. I’ve reread the original version not that long ago and decided it would be best to rewrite it; the fact that it was hard to write the actual story also helped in making this decision. I found it to be illogical under the circumstances of Zombie-Apocalypse-Teenage-Romance-and-Angst-Illegal-Experiments-and-more mix. The characters I had in the original post weren’t developed as thoroughly as I had hoped, so that’s also another reason why this is being done. I just hope everyone forgives me on the long wait for the main story. (Also, any and all scientific bullshit I write in here is mostly made up on my end; on the more popular topics I will do some research to portray it as it should be, but other than that I will leave it to my muse.)
> 
> As a side note: The lyrics in the summary is what gave me this idea, and the idea for the main story. It’s a little sad, the song, but it’s good and something I would recommend to people. (I do not own this song, nor any The Walking Dead comics/show/characters.)
> 
>  
> 
> _Not beta'd. All mistakes are my own._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES: This first set of chapters is mainly setting up my OC’s life and all relationships she had before the Apocalypse began. The speech patterns of my young OC are not normal for one her age because she was taught to show her smarts so those around her know how progress is going. Meaning, really, that she wasn’t allowed to restrain herself if everyone around her thought she could handle pushing herself further in certain aspects.

Papers were meticulously piled up on a nondescript metal table, an equally unremarkable metal desk chair was pulled close to the edge. There was nothing else but a small, featureless lamp, where it was settled at one corner beside the piles of paper. Upon walking into the minutely furnished office, Susan Quincy winced at the six piles of paperwork she was most likely expected to finish by the end of the day. Taking a deep breath, she moved around the metal desk to sit on the chair. Leaning back against the stiff back of the chair, Susan rubbed at her temples gently.

The only bright side of the day was how well the current study was going. Susan believed the extra paperwork was worth the progression that was recorded for today, and with that in mind, she tucked into the closest pile of papers. Most of what was in the first stack was mainly a list of items she had asked for a few weeks ago with little memos beside them telling her if she had been authorized to get them or not. Susan smiled as the approved-to-declined ratio was high. Leaning back, Susan pulled out a small drawer that lined the bottom of the desktop and took out a small, weathered notebook. Flipping to a page filled with names, both of fellow scientists and of the very items she’d asked for. Carefully Susan went through that first stack once more, marking down checkmarks next to names who had been approved their needed products and exes for those who had been declined.

Upon finishing that task, Susan seemed a little less stressed. Being the head of the project had its perks; she doesn’t have to stay the whole day or write the lengthy reports that mostly consisted of what the subject reacts negatively to during any and all testing. Susan had been happy when she’d been picked for the job, but then she saw what her head’s of previous projects had had to deal with. The very lengthy reports she’d written she now had to read, the lists of items that had piled up over time were her’s to go through, get, and distribute in ways she felt was best. The stress was almost death, Susan would always say, ever one for the dramatics despite her serious personality, but she loved her job and would never give it up.

Looking over the list in her notebook once more, Susan finished the first pile with a little more interest. It was a list of future tests the boss wants to see done on the subject; sight, sound, response to more positive stimuli, the likes in which Susan easily agreed to add to the already extensive list. The second, third, and fourth piles of papers were mainly reports the seven other scientists on the project with her wrote. They were all pretty repetitive; each researcher under Susan was supposed to recount their side of an event to give them best report possible. Minor variations were expected, but it wasn’t enough to make the reports interesting reads.

The fifth pile was nothing more than more requests over the same items from the first pile. Susan was always expectant of such a pile of papers; she got one every day until they were approved. Though she still looked through it, writing down some that hadn’t been there the day before on a clean page next to the names of those who asked for them. Having easily gone through that pile Susan’s mood was a little higher than when she had initially seen the stacks neatly placed on her desk as she moved on to the last one. This single stack was one, rather lengthy memo from the boss. It was their version of an email since the compound Susan worked at was underground and a close-to-the-chest secret. Susan read through this one a little more thoroughly than she had the previous papers, writing little notes down within her notebook. Most of the first three pages were praise from the boss, both for Susan and her ‘minions’ as the boss liked to call all subordinates on projects like this. Susan paused in her reading to glance to the side; eyes squinted as she recalls every interaction she’s ever had with the Big Boss; the other woman was odd, eccentric even. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, Susan went back to reading. The five pages after the praises were nothing more than the boss speculating on what possible outcomes would come from specific tests and asking if it was possible for them to try them at some point. Ever since becoming the head of her very own project, Susan felt that the influential woman funding each project in the building (and more in others) was actually more of a curious woman than a dangerous one. But as all things go in this line of work, one can never actually know who someone is unless they let you in on their life outside of work.

The last eight pages were reminders of deadlines for certain tests, small notifications of why certain materials were denied this go around, questions over the other scientists, etc. It was more business like that the first eight pages and showed that even if the Boss Lady was a curious person, she understood this whole thing was business and needed to be acted upon with certain tact. With a sigh and a few more notes written in her notebook, Susan started packing up what she was allowed to leave within a bag that had been sitting under the desk, unseen until she bent to pick it up. She left the papers on her desk knowing full well someone would come and pick them up as they did with each individual in the compound. (Susan didn’t know why they did it, she just knew they did and wasn’t one to question after the incriminating papers.) Looking over everything in her bag and what little was in her desk, Susan nodded and turned to walk out.

She stopped by the request office that was settled on the second floor from ground level and placed the orders for each item previously declined and what was asked for today. When the man, Charlie, asked her about the waiting times, Susan smiled and shrugged. “They’re not urgently needed, Charlie; you know I’ve asked everyone to give me notice when a few month’s worth is all we have left.”

“Two months it is on the newer items, the ones from yesterday’s list?”

“Indefinite. We’ll get them when we get them, and we’ll make due with what we have. Tomorrow I’ll let everyone know about the restrictions.”

Charlie smiled then, his hardened face melting into something soft and understanding. “You may very well be kept as a Head, you know. It’s easy to see.”

Susan rolled her eyes and waved goodbye to the elderly man as she left, knowing he’ll place each order with care. And with that taken care of, Susan happily went home for a relaxing bath and some warm food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Side Note: Big Boss is someone who will be mentioned a lot throughout this small chaptered story and will actually come into play as an actual character in the future, larger chaptered story, Crossfire.]
> 
> {Second Side Note: The ‘subject’ has developed faster than most children would have under normal circumstances due to how she was raised. Her only companions are scientists, so she’s grown up around scientific jargon. It also shouldn’t be a surprise that at seven, she is able to understand engineering concepts that are on par with adults who have spent years studying how machines work. With all that said and done, the ‘subject’ is a rather smart girl and that’s what’s going to make her a dangerous person when the zombie virus starts.}


	2. 11 Months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first arc of this story (chapters 1 - 7) will consist of chapters of short length. The second arc (chapters 8 - 10) will be longer and will cover Carl's growing relationship with my OC. (Carl's past and when the canon divergence happens will be more in the main book rather than this one, as that is the biggest plot point in that story.)

David Samuel Greyson; he’s a man of reputable scientific background, known for his calm mind and analytical view of the world. He hadn’t been Susan’s first choice for the job, but as she had gone through the list of scientists given to her by the Big Boss, the list became rather narrow in who would do best in taking care of the subject. There had been Johnathan Myers, a man best known for his compassion, but Susan felt he would be better off watching from afar, taking notes that added a particular light to the research being conducted. Emelia Hoppers had been another possible candidate; she was warm and patient, well known for her research in biochemistry and psychology. Again, Susan felt best that this woman should be kept at a distance. Left to watch the growth of the child, seeking for any physical and mental issues that would make the subject redundant to the project’s end goal. (Emelia had been the one out of the three others who did the same job to pick up on the subject’s blindness. She had also been the one to explain that they can work around the deformity and get accurate results.) David had been the last person on the list of scientists Susan was allowed to use. He is the oldest on the project, pushing fifty-one, and has dabbled in various parts of the scientific world. Biology had been his lifelong dream, but as he grew older, he branched off into psychology, anatomy, chemistry, philosophy, and more. David was well revered as the Man of Science - a play on the Man of Steel, she’d been told - due to his dedication to the many sciences to exist. It was the fact he was so well-rounded in the multitudes of science that made Susan’s choice for her. David Greyson was the kind of scientist who would have the ability to balance out emotions for a decent personality development while also making sure the subject never grew lax.

And it was David who was waiting for her outside the door of her office. Susan regarded him with a single glance before motioning him to wait for a moment. She went inside, got everything in the positions they needed to be in before grabbing the clipboard of results from earlier this morning for her to go through, and a pencil before she walked back out again.

“Shouldn’t you be with the subject, David?”

“I should, yes, but I felt the need to stretch my legs for a bit. I was only waiting three minutes for you, so time hasn’t really been wasted.” David was the kind of man who wore suits every day, hidden under his white coat, while also sporting a rather long ponytail of grey-black hair. Susan loved to watch him walk as his hair swayed side to side, defeating the purpose of making him seem professional. He was, in every sense of the word, but his hair made the intimidation levels he was capable of reaching with short hair unattainable with it long. “The subject has been in need of more space.”

And there’s the reason why he dared to break a rule. “Ah, I’ll look into it. For now, head back to the subject and make sure none of your colleges messed up anything while you put her in their care.” Susan watched as David nodded and walked away, smiling slightly at the sight of his perfectly silver-black hair swayed over his back. With a deep breath, Susan turned and walked into the meeting room that already held six of the many scientists put on the project with her. “Alright, I’ve called you guys because I know none of you would argue with me on this. We need to make the soap, tissues and baby wipes last us for a while. From what I got from the boss, it will be another three months, give or take a few weeks, before we get a new shipment of it.”

They had groaned a bit but left when Susan waved them off without a squabble. Susan sat in one of the metal chairs that sat around the metal table with a huff. She loved science, she truly did, but sometimes she wondered if any of it was worth it with the prospect of dealing with other people. People were tiring and unpredictable, much like new experiments, but the outcomes were just as unforeseeable as their reactions could be. Most times, the result in science was expected. Susan took a few moments to get herself ready for more social interactions before standing and leaving the room herself, not bothering to glance down at the results until she needed a break from flowing conversations.

And so began a day of stress and research.


	3. 3 Years

Susan calmly settled down in a chair one of the junior scientists motioned towards when she walked in. There were multiple screens around her, all of them blue as they slowly got the needed programs up. Susan has never spoken with the subject in the threes years since her creation; the Big Boss had asked for that to change once everyone felt the subject at a decent mental state for it. (Meaning they had to wait until the child understood much of the English language and had an adequate grasp of logic.) The fact that Emelia, Joe, Frank and Hannah - the four psychologists Susan had picked for the project - had decided now was the time to have her, and the subject speak was remarkable. Almost unbelievable, but Susan has had three years worth of progress reports and memos from the scientists on the project, so it was plausible that the youth had mentally matured to the point of having a decent conversation with other people.

When Steve walked over to her and fixed the microphone before her, Susan sat up straight and fixed her overcoat. At Steve’s nod, all screens turned on and showed the small form of the three-year-old subject, aware of the people around her in her usual, odd way - the rest of the team Susan had picked with David right there behind her - before her head perked up and she gave Susan a tentative smile.

“Hi,” she said, voice thick with uncertainty. “’M told yah’re the person in ch’rge of all the tes’s and trainin’ I ‘o through.”

Susan blinked and turned her gaze to David, who shrugged, before letting out a noise of amusement. “That I am, little one. How are those going by the way? Nothing too hard for you or too easy?”

“Well, there is the lack of sight, but ’m told there’s nothin’ that can really be done ‘bout it.” The subject hummed and leaned back in her chair, head tilting and letting the short white hair brush over her ears. “’ve had issues with la’guages, but ’ve gotten better at learnin’ them in the last few months,” that was something Susan knew, “and then there are the logic tes’s, but those are ‘pposed to be tricky, so I don’ think I can com’lain.”

Susan listened as the young girl went through each test she endured and how those made her feel - mentally, emotionally, physically - while also going through each individual training sets the four psychologists came up with for her. It was remarkable to see such a young person, one with very little exposure to proper societal cues, speak coherently enough to have a proper conversation with an adult. Even more so that she understood most of what Susan spoke about herself, only asking about the immense words she hasn’t been taught just yet. It was incredible to see just three years of work end up with almost perfect results. And the imperfection was what topped the cake; the subject understood they weren’t checking all the boxes the scientists wanted her to, and even promises to try harder to get them next time the tests came about.

“You have been a delight, missy,” Susan said, smiling at the small giggle that left the innocent girl, “but I’m afraid I’ll have to end the conversation here. I promise we’ll talk again soon.”

“In per’on woul’ be nice nex’ ‘ime.”  
  
Susan made an agreeing sound just before everything was turned off. She leaned back in the chair she was sitting in, blinking her eyes a few times before tilting her head and giving those in the room a wide grin. They all relaxed and grinned back just was widely. The progress made was admirable, something not even the Big Boss had predicted when the project was first set into motion in those months before her birth.

After all, not many genetically modified _anything_ lived past the first year of life. They were too unstable, genetically, and didn’t amount for much research. But this project proved that caution in such a field was a higher necessity than the actual success of the subject’s birth. Susan mused on how the subject’s genetic enhancements were the main reason for the video call; it would not be a good thing if the subject found out who her mother was until every scientist was ready for the fallout for it. Shaking her head and breathing in deep, Susan slowly relaxed and pushed that worry back for another day.

“There’s reason to celebrate,” she said as she stood from the uncomfortable chair. “Finish up here and spread the word that nothing will be needed of anyone but David and myself, in the case of something going wrong while all of you relax as you wish to.”  
  
Susan smiled softly as everyone made excited noises, giving her serious nods as they got to work. She waited just before the doorway, watching them all with a type of fondness only a boss could feel for their employees. Even with the prospect of a night free of work, all of them were meticulous in recording results and side notes that came to their minds as they worked. _Science_ , Susan mused with amusement as she finally turned away and made her way back to her undecorated office.

She had some serious notes to write in her notebook - and a rather extensive memo to Big Boss - before she would take a brief break to wash.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I had a writer's block about a future part and have only just decided to get back into writing this prelude.


End file.
